Connector Position Assurance (CPA) devices are commonly used in electrical connectors in order to ensure that the connector bodies are properly locked and mated together. Half-mated connections can be avoided by having a pre-locking mechanism that makes it impossible for the CPA device to be pushed into a final locking state unless the electrical connectors are mated in the desired manner.
One conventional method employed in the art to disengage the CPA device from a pre-lock position, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,101, for example, utilizes a lock in the header side, which, if damaged, may affect the effective locking capability of the primary locking system of the connector. Additionally, as the CPA device is in a stressed state when full mating and locking are accomplished, thermal effects under a long-term influence of high temperature conditions can increase the likelihood of material creep. This can affect material integrity and, ultimately, the functionality of the CPA device.
Disengagement of the CPA device from the pre-lock position can be accomplished through modification of the header to include special disengagement features. However, CPA devices often require standard headers, such as headers conforming to United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) footprint. Therefore, in CPA devices where modification of headers is precluded, effective locking requires appropriate design of CPA devices, for example, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,326,074.